What would Jesus really do?

I have seen so many people with wristbands, t-shirts, bumper stickers, hats, ink pens, pretty much anything that you can write on or make letters out of that asks one question: What would Jesus do?
So therefore, I ask you the same question. Think about that before you answer.  Jesus asked us to love our enemies, help the poor and defend the innocent.  Let's take the woman that was going to get stoned for adultery.  Yes, her sin was punishable by death according to the law.  However, Jesus was given power by the Father to forgive sins.  He got her accusers to renounce their claim on her life and forgave her sins and said, "Go and sin no more."  Simple, to the point act of mercy and kindness to someone that was at their lowest.

Now I have heard that being angry is "bad".  If you agree with that concept and furthermore agree that Jesus Christ never committed any kind of sin, then you are contradicting yourself.  After the wedding where He turned water to wine (John 2), Jesus went into the temple and became very angry with what he saw.  Angry to the point that he used a whip, turned over tables, poured money out on the ground, and shouted, “Take these things away! Do not make My Father’s house a house of merchandise!”  That sounds like a pretty angry guy if you ask me. 


Jesus had compassion for those that had "a run of bad luck"  or were beaten down by the world.  Think about the people that live in the bad neighborhoods.  They are poor, ignorant to the truth and dying to hear something positive.  Then they turn on the TV and every few weeks they hear about another preacher that is caught in some scandal or a Christian is holding up a sign at a soldiers funeral saying that God hates them because they were a homosexual and they got what they deserved.  With all that what in the world would make them want to have something to do with Christianity?  Don't get me wrong, I do not agree with homosexuality.  The point is that we are to love the sinner and hate the sin.  Even if they treat us badly and tell us how much they hate Christians, try and change their mind!!!  All they have seen is what I just mentioned.  Jesus helped all like that that He saw.  It was actually the religious people that he had to get verbally rough with.  Remember, that YOU may be the only example of Jesus that anyone ever sees.  To me that seems like a very daunting task, but it is one that I take VERY SERIOUSLY!  


Really what it all boils down to is this: the devil is a liar!  What did Jesus do every time He encountered what was not the truth?  He let the truth be known.  The people that are broke busted and disgusted need to hear the truth that God does truly and unconditionally love them.  The "bad" people are simply deceived into thinking that their actions are acceptable.  The cool part is that God's Word gives us instructions for taking care of that deception.  James 4:7  "Submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you."  That is just a very small part of the big picture.  


In conclusion, I just want you to think next time you hear that question.  What would Jesus really do?